The Lord of House Potter
by TheyWhoWrites
Summary: Bellatrix goes with Voldemort that fateful night in 1981 as her final task before the Dark Lord allows her into his inner circle. Things do not go as planned, and Bella gets away with something she thought she would never have. Decent!Bella Greyish!Harry Some Bashing. Rated M for adult-like reasons.
1. Chapter I

**Originally Uploaded: 25/10/18**

 **Updated On: 03/10/19**

 **NEW AN: This story is in the process of being rewritten/already done being rewritten, If you are reading this for a second time, expect some things to be different.**

 **AN: This is rated M for violence, blood, adult shenanigans, etc… For a reason. Proceed at own risk**

 **AN2: Disclaimer BS: Story mine, Harry Potter not.**

Chapter I

31 October 1981

Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort approached the supposedly hidden Potter residence. They were in quiet conversation.

"Hmph, they thought a pesky little Fidelius could keep me out," Voldemort's voice drawled out. "How many years have you been with me, Bella?"

Bella answered skittishly after thinking, "Two, my Lord."

"And what of your husband, Rodolphus?" Voldemort continued.

"For the entirety of the War, maybe even before it," She said in a quiet voice, but strong voice.

"And when did you marry him? It couldn't have been too long after the War began," Voldemort asked pointedly.

Bellatrix, not knowing where this would go, replied with a hint of nervousness, "I married him during his seventh year at Hogwarts, my Lord."

At this point, they were at the gates of the house, ceasing all conversation between the Lord and his minion. He turned to her and spoke softly, "You will kill the man, and you will do it as gruesomely as you can. This will be your final test before you ascend into the ranks of my inner circle, just as your husband has. I will kill the brat, and his mother if she doesn't stay out of the way. She will make a fine prize."

Bellatrix gulped, nodded her consent, and stacked up net to the front door of the house.

Voldemort pulsed his magic before letting loose a _bombarda_ that took down both the front door and the wall next to it, alerting the occupants of the residence.

As Bella and Voldemort rushed in, James Potter came at Bella with what appeared to be either a dagger or a kitchen knife. _Where is the fool's wand?_ Bella thought to herself.

She took her offhand to deflect James's wrist. At the same time, she stabbed her wand into his gut and muttered a _bombarda maxima_. The resulting explosion shook the house and made James Potter no more. There was not a part of him left whole, and about half of him was on Bella herself. Without opening her eyes, she cast _scourgify_ cleaning both herself and her Lord of the once Lord Potter.

Clapping caused Bella to turn around and see Voldemort with one of his _smiles_ , if they can be called that, upon his face, "Well done, Bella, well done. That will surely give the aurors a sick stomach when they come here. Now, stay here and prevent any help from interrupting me."

With a quick "Yes, my Lord", Bella stood by the bottom of the staircase that Voldemort had just begun to climb up.

At first, there was only silence. It stayed like that until a woman's voice cried out, "Not him! Please! Take me instead! Leave my boy alone! Please! I beg of you!"

" _Avada Kedavra_!" Bella heard Voldemort yell in annoyance.

There was another brief pause before Bella heard Voldemort yell out again, " _Sanguis Fervens!_ "

She winced a little on the inside. Blood Boiling curse on an infant. Overkill at the extreme. She had no more time to think on it as there was a loud explosion sound that came from the nursery upstairs.

Bella booked it up the steps and caught herself on the doorframe of the nursery. She could hardly believe her own eyes. In front of her was a little child, with a bleeding mark on his head, just sitting there muttering the word "ma ma" over and over again. In front of him was a pile of Death Eater cloaks, battered and ripped. The Potter matron was still dead, but somehow, her son had survived a curse from the Dark Lord, He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, You-Know-Who, Lord Voldemort himself.

She went over to the boy, fully intent on finishing the job, but as she prepared to cast the spell, the boy looked up at her, "Ma ma?"

He blinked at her and something inside of her _happened_. She didn't know what she was doing but she took baby Harry and stuffed him inside of her cloak and ran from the residence.

==TLoHP==

 _Bella, after months of trying to conceive an heir for the Lestrange line, sat dead as her heart broke as slowly as the conversation between her husband and the mediwitch._

" _I'm telling you, Lord Lestrange, there is nothing we can do. You should be glad that the_ Secarus Maxima _didn't cleave her in two. Keep her out of duels for at least a year or two. We need to heal this as slowly as we can; otherwise, we will lose her. Bloody Hell, I'd recommend keeping her in the ward here for the duration, just to be safe, but we both know that's not going to happen now, is it?" The mediwitch berated the young Lord, "You're only seventeen and she's only twenty. Because of your tomfoolery, she will_ never _have children. So next time you face off against the aurors, at least make sure the Order isn't there as well. I might not be able to patch her up next time."_

 _. . ._

 _Rodolphus rages long into that night. Plans for killing the Order member who cast the spell were made, plans for healing Bella's womb were made and tossed away as they became more and more desperate. At the end of the night, Rodolphus forbade Bella from participating in the War as a combatant. He would not lose any more of his possessions._

==TLoHP==

She entered Number 12 Grimmauld Place with orders flying from her mouth, "Kreacher! Prepare a crib and food for an infant boy!"

Her Aunt's voice came from down the hall, "Bella, dear, what's wrong?"

It may only be a painting, but any familiar voice would help right now, "Aunt Walburga, the worst has happened. The Dark Lord has been felled."

A second pause happened as the painting looked at her. Then chaos ensued, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DARK LORD HAS BEEN FELLED? THE GREATEST WIZARD SINCE MERLIN DEFEATED BY A BLOOD TRAITOR AND HIS MUDBLOOD WHORE! THE DARK LORD IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BRING THIS NATION TO ITS TRUE GLORY! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!"

After Walburga's echo quieted down, a baby's cry could be heard from the second floor.

Bella glared at the portrait, "Walburga, I need you to be quiet." She closed the curtains and covered up her aunt, preventing her from exploding again.

Bella hurried upstairs to the room Kreacher had put Harry in.

"Kreacher is sorry, Mistress Bellatrix, old Mistress scared filthy half-blo-"

He stopped talking as he got slapped by Bella, "You will _not_ call him such names. You shall treat him as if he were a true son of the House of Black. Do you understand me?"

He nodded feverishly, "Yes, Mistress, Kreacher understands. Kreacher will now go punish himself for his failure." With that, he apparated to a different part of the house.

Bella took Harry into her arms and started rocking him slowly while singing, "Frère Jacques Frère Jacques Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous? Sonnez les matines…"

By the time she finished the old lullaby, Harry had her index finger in one of her hands and was sucking the thumb of his other.

 **AN: Yes, I'm playing with canon. Yes, Bella is not a crazy old loon. No, this is not a Fix It! It is my own take on what would happen if Bellatrix joined the war ten years later than she should have, before she was irreversibly corrupted by Voldywart.**


	2. Chapter II

**Originally Uploaded: 27/10/18**

 **Updated On: 03/10/19**

Chapter II

1 November 1981

Bella glanced at the _Daily Profit_ in front of her:

 _The Dark Lord Defeated and Lord Black Proven Innocent by Rita Skeeter_

 _Earlier today the Kiss-on-Sight order for Lord Sirius Orion Black was rescinded upon the opening of the late Potter's wills and final testaments which clearly labeled Peter Pettigrew as the traitor. Here's what Lord Black had to say during a brief interview:_

 _Lord Black, what caused you to arrive at the Potter's residence so soon after the attack?_

Well, James and I are- were brothers in all but blood. I would often go to their house to see my godson or simply catch up with James and Lily. When I entered the Fidelius and saw the house… I simply lost all sense of self-preservation. I didn't care if there were any Death Eaters or whatnot around. I bolted it in there.

 _What did you find there? Warning to our younger readers, this gets graphic_

"I walked up to the house, and I saw the second floor was caved in, right at the nursery. I panicked and ran into the house as quickly as I could. I didn't even bother looking around at first. I didn't actually look at my surroundings until I was in the nursery itself. I was devastated. Lily was on the ground, stone dead with a pained expression left frozen on her face. Right in front of her was a Death Eater's cloak. I picked it up and almost [Explicative] myself It was [You-Know-Who's] wand. I took about ten minutes trying to find my godson. I couldn't. He wasn't upstairs. When I went downstairs to look for him, I realized why I didn't see James's body when I first entered. He didn't have a body anymore. There were guts on the walls and ceiling, the floor was painted red, it was horrendous. I picked my way through the rubble and couldn't find my godson. I spent all night looking for him. I only went to the DMLE so soon because I wanted help finding him."

 _Continued on page 3_

Bella was both startled and unsurprised simultaneously. On the one hand, Sirius betraying the Potters was always an impossibility. On the other one however, Dumbledore himself had tried to get the wills sealed and supported Crouch Sr in his crusade against the newest Lord Black.

She heard a fart come from her right and simply glared at the young Harry Potter. She spoke, "Naughty baby, farting at the dinner table like that. Be glad that Walburga is dead. She'd have punished you greatly for that, little one."

She stood from the table and picked up Harry. She started bouncing him in her arms in an attempt to burp him.

She moved out of the kitchen and into the hallway to speak to her Aunt.

"Walburga," Bella started, "What should I do with Harry? He is not my child, but I could not simply leave him in the debris during such a cold night."

Walburga's painting hummed and spoke, "Well, you could give the child to my bastard of a son Sirius. That is what the laws would tell you. You could keep him as your own, either with or without the Potter name. Blood adoption is always an option. There's taking him and yourself and moving out of country-"

Walburga stopped as Kreacher approached with a golden letter in his hand, "Mistress Bella, a Gringotts' eagle delivered this just now. It is marked 'Urgent'."

Bella took the letter and glanced over it to confirm what Kreacher had just said. Gold envelope, golden wax seal, 'Urgent' spelled in blood, most likely dragon's blood. It was the real deal.

She took her knife and used a minor cutting charm to open the letter.

 _Addressed to Madame Lestrange of Number 12 Grimmauld Place,_

 _This letter is being sent to the last place Heir-apparent Harry James Potter's magic was last detected. We at Gringotts would like to formally invite the self-appointed guardian of Harry James Potter to Gringotts to clear some misperceptions as to the reading of James and Lily Potter's' Wills and Final Testaments in accordance to Goblin law. The meeting will take place at 18:00 this evening of the first of November of 1981. If you are mortally injured and cannot attend, please send a reply along with mediwitch verification of your grievous injury. Any other excuse will see a Goblin Valuable Persons Retrieval Squad at your door at precisely 18:00:01 this evening._

 _May your coffers be full, and your enemies lie dead,_

 _Potter Account Manager Griphook_

She glanced at the clock in the hallway. Bella had half an hour to get Harry and herself to the bank before the time limit was up. Everyone knew that goblins didn't bullshit when it came to deadlines like these. Emphasis on dead.

Bella picked up Harry, wrapped him in a blanket, and proceeded to leave Number 12. She reached the edge of the wards and apparated to the bank.

==TLoHP==

Gringotts was always a sight to behold. The epitome of goblin engineering and architecture was the undisputed centerpiece of Diagon Alley. Goblin warriors stood guard on both sides of the door adorned in enchanted armour and wielding enchanted weapons.

Bella approached the doors as on of the two warriors stopped her.

He looked at her and the precious bundle she had within her arms and spoke softly, "Madame Lestrange, can you please confirm that you have the both the letter and the person?"

Bella pulled out the letter and revealed the face of Harry to the master goblin, "I have answered the summons from Potter Account Manager Griphook."

The warrior looked over the letter and glanced at the baby. Afterwards, he motioned for Bellatrix to follow him.

Bella was led through the doors of Gringotts and immediately brought to the doors at the back leading to deeper into the bank. They walked by several offices and conference rooms as the end of the hall approached.

The very last door was more grandiose and elegant than the rest of the doors there, and that was when the warrior stopped them both.

He said, "This is King Ragnok IV's office. Inside will be Account Manager Griphook and some medigoblins in order to ensure young Potter's health. Then it will be determined what part you had in these circumstances occurring. I will warn you now, there is a chance of only young Potter making it out of here alive. We now that you had accompanied Voldemort to the Potter Residence last night. The only thing we do not know is what part you played. Good luck, Madame Lestrange."

Bella bowed her head slightly, "My thanks, Master Goblin. May your gold flow as much as your foe's blood."

He returned the slight bow and opened the door for Bella. She walked straight in and was surprised by the sight.

The room was quite large indeed. It was also very ornate. Gold decorum and silver trimming were to be seen all around the room. In the center of the ray rested a large table that was surrounded by chairs. The table was very reminiscent of the old Round Table of Arthur and Merlin.

A goblin who Bella could only assume to be King Ragnok the Fourth looked up from his conversation with the other members of his party, "Madame Lestrange née Black, please sit. There is much we must speak of today."

Bella moved to the only open seat at the table and sat, slowly rocking Harry as she did so.

Ragnok noticed this, and an almost imperceivable smile ran across his lips as he spoke once more, "Madame Lestrange, you know who I am, so I will keep the introductions short. To my right is Potter Account Manager Griphook and his team of financial specialists. To my left is Master Medigoblin Arrast and his team of healers. Left of the healers is Potions Master Eargit and Curse-Breaker Hollimer. All parties are here today to determine why you hold Heir-apparent Harry James Potter within your arms. You will be administered with Veritaserum to dissuade any illusion of misconception or lie. Eargit will give you the potion now. Take it willingly or become dragon food. I care not of which."

Bella grabbed the vial from the goblin and downed it, opening her mouth afterwards to show she did indeed drink the potion.

Ragnok began the long lines of questioning. Bella was at the Potter's because the Dark Lord commanded it. She was the one who killed Lord Potter under the orders and influence of Voldemort. She took the child after some very emotional soul searching.

The goblin king continued the questions, "When did you join the Death Eaters?"

Bella responded, "I originally joined in 1971, but a scant few months in I was injured and forbidden by my husband to continue in any capacity."

"Why did you join Voldemort and his group?"

"I was threatened by my Mother, Aunt, and Husband. Should I have not joined, I would most likely not be here today."

"Did you agree with Voldemort's views on the world? And if so, which ones?"

"I agreed that Muggleborns should adhere to the traditions of our world and history. Sahmain, Ester, Midsummer. All of these have been diluted to nearly nothing due to the influx of muggleborns we have received. I did not believe in the slavery and extermination of muggleborns, and the belief that they were stealing magic from the old families was, quite frankly, a delusion that most of the Death Eaters actually believed. Even the newest of muggleborns know of genetics by the time they turn eleven. It is a shame that most wizards do not."

Ragnok and his entourage were very startled at the information that had just came from her mouth. The last half of that conversation was full of things that the Blacks and Lestranges should not know about. A pureblood witch who was knowledgeable of genetics? That was unheard of.

Ragnok spoke again, "How do you know so much of these concepts such as genetics and the like?"

Bella struggled against the potion, but to no avail as she stated, "There was a muggleborn who I considered a friend during Hogwarts. Samantha Jennings, she was. Same year as me in Ravenclaw. No one really knew her, and eleven year old me was curious as to the truth of what my mother and aunt had often spouted from their mouths. In my sixth year she was found in the bathroom on the Seventh Floor dead and-"

She paused to breath before continuing, "and disrobed."

King Ragnok nodded his head in understanding. It was never easy speaking of a friend who met their end in that way, truth serum or not. He gestured to Eargit, "Get her some water, please. This story was quite difficult on her. That much is easy to tell."

Bella graciously took the water and sipped it slowly. She had always blamed herself for Samantha's death, and she was almost positive her mother Druella was to blame. The nasty bitch never said anything to Bella, but whenever Miss Jennings was brought up her mother always had a knowing look in her eyes as she stared at Bella.

"All right, Madame Lestrange. We have determined that you were under duress during the war, and under Goblin laws that allows us some leeway in how we continue. The fact that you blame yourself for a mugleborn's death also shows that everything is not as it seems with you."

Bella's face fell at that last sentence. She said that aloud?

"Madame Lestrange," Ragnok spoke slowly, "Veritaserum. Remember? This is goblin serum, not some pathetic ministerial potion that allows you to hide within your mind. We goblins get things done right the first time, unlike your ministry."

Understanding showed in Bella's eyes, "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

"Just one last thing," Ragnok said, "What are your intentions with young Potter here?"

"I mean," Bella spoke, "I can't have children, and I didn't know where to go without getting myself killed in the process, so I took him to my family's home in London. I would like to raise the boy, considering the harm I have done to his father and, by extension, his mother."

Ragnok once again nodded his head slightly, "Before we continue that line of discussion, let's get you the Veritaserum antidote and check over the boy for any ailments."

Bella reluctantly gave Harry over to the medigoblin and accepted the antidote from Master Eargit.

After she had taken the antidote, she noticed that the curse-breaker was swearing up a mild storm as he waved his wand over Harry.

Hollimer called out, "Bellatrix, get over here! I have a problem."

She bolted over the table and was next to the man in an instant, "What the hell's wrong?"

"What spell did Voldemort hit Harry with?"

"Blood-boiling curse, sir," came Bella's reply.

"The hell?" Hollimer said more to himself, "A blood-boiling curse does not leave behind a soul fragment of the Dark Lord behind. Do you know if Lady Potter did anything?"

She shook her head, "No, I could only hear her yell out to take her instead of the boy, repeatedly."

Hollimer pondered over that, "Sacrificial ritual? No, those were banned by Dumbledore back in the early 50's. They wouldn't use that. Same with all the other blood magics. It wasn't a shield. Those don't hold up to blood-boilers. What did he use to kill Lady Potter?"

"Standard AK."

"Killing curse kills the mother, but the child survives a blood-boiling curse at what I would guess is point-blank range. What happened after the curse?"

Bella responded, "There was a loud bang from the nursery. I went up and found Lady Potter dead, the roof collapsed, the Dark Lord's robes on the ground, and Harry was sitting there, crying as if he could understand what happened to his mother. Why? What's wrong?"

"There is no easy way of saying this. There's something dark connected to Harry's core, as well as a power dampener. The dampener was put on sloppily. It wasn't a healer who did it. This brings me to suspect that the Potters did not know of it. If I release the dampener, it is possible that the influx of power will eject the darkness, but it is only a guess. It's up to you if you wish me to- What the bloody fuck!"

Bella started sweating, "What now? What did you find?"

"There are four different blood tracker charms on this guy. Ones to monitor health, location, his magic core, the final one even keeps track of the dampener! I'm getting rid of all of these pronto. There's no telling who put these on Harry. I knew James from school. He'd never allow this."

The door to the office opened to reveal a goblin teller in a rush.

"My King," he said with a bow, "Dumbledore is in the lobby causing a disturbance. He keeps speaking of having to find Harry. He is leaving the other wizards alone, but he continuously disrupts the other tellers."

"Thank you, Teller Urnot, I will see to it personally," started Ragnok as he turned to Hollimer, "Hollimer, if you can get those trackers and the dampener off of young Potter by the time I get to the lobby, I'll double your pay and secure you a promotion. If not, find a new job."

Hollimer didn't even bother to respond as Ragnok left the room. He was waving his wand around Harry wildly while saying incantations trying to complete his task.

==TLoHP==

Ragnok approached the wizened wizard who was quietly harassing a teller.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!" bellowed the King of goblins, "What gives you the right to barge into our bank and disturb the people of the Nation?"

Albus looked at Ragnok with a twinkle in his eye. _Damn him and his twinkle,_ thought Ragnok.

Albus spoke in a rush, "I have information that Harry Potter was spotted here at the bank. I need the child. He is not safe here, not in the middle the busiest part of Diagon."

Ragnok played ignorant, "I don't know who told you that young Potter was here, but I haven't seen him. Are you sure he did not die in the attack?"

"I am completely sure that Harry Potter is in this building. My spells tell me so."

"Could you demonstrate those spells? I would like to be certain that one of my customers did not bring a child who was not theirs to this building."

"As my spells were permitted by Lord Potter, I will show you. " _Homenum Revelio Imprimis Potter_ ," Dumbledore casted as a light went from his wand…

And fizzled. Ragnok let loose an inaudible sigh of relief, "So, Dumbledore, you think you can waltz in here with your demands and then lie to me. Well, here's what I have to say. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BANK AND DON'T COME BACK!"

Dumbledore sputtered, "But it worked just-"

"Guards! We have an intruder who does not wish to leave. Show him the door, please."

Two dozen goblin warriors covered in head to toe in enchanted armour came forth and pointed their halberds at the Chief Warlock.

Dumbledore looked at Ragnok with hatred in his eyes, "You will regret this."

"Sure I will," replied Ragnok with a bit of snark, "Now remove your arse from our bank. And don't come back. Consider this a ban."

Ragnok was unable to see the blood drain from Albus' face, for he had already turned around and went back to his office.

 **AN: I was going to continue until the end of Gringotts, but this thing's already almost three times the size of chapter one. Chapter three will have the aftermath of this. I know that Bella may appear to be timid, but an emotional rollercoaster will do that to a person.**


	3. Chapter III

**Originally Uploaded: 29/10/18**

 **Updated On: 03/10/19**

 **AN: Some** _ **difficult**_ **stuff is mentioned further into the chapter. Fair warning. I don't know if I should have gone as far as I did.**

Chapter III

1 November 1981

The doors to Ragnok's office slammed open, startling everyone inside.

Ragnok sped in swearing up a storm, "The bloody-fucking-wanker of rainbow robes. I swear, one of these days someone is strangle that man with his own beard, and I'll give that person a million galleons!"

He took a drink of water to compose himself and spoke, "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen. I let the Chief Warlock get under my skin. Madame Lestrange, I can say for certain that those trackers were placed on young Potter by Dumbledore. Now since that is out of the way, let's deal with young Potter's situation. Personally, I have no problems allowing you to keep him, Madame Lestrange, but if this were to be discovered by the ministry… Well, we could very well have another goblin _rebellion_ on our hands. My suggestion is to use the blood trackers and the fact that Dumbledore was going to leave Lord Black to hang. Use these to attempt to keep the boy, but Lord Black is frankly Lord Black. It doesn't matter what you want. Lord Black has enough power to see you behind bars."

Bella gulped as he continued, "It's been too long since I last saw him, so I cannot guess how he will react. Simply because you made sure to protect the boy these past twenty-four hours might be enough for him to accept you, but it will take a face-to-face meeting to be sure of that."

He turned to Hollimer, "Hollimer, congratulations on your promotion, Head-Breaker."

"No problem, sir," Hollimer said with a slight bow, "Whatever I can do to help."

"Arrast, what can you tell me about the dark presence now that the dampener has been released?" Ragnok inquired.

"It is the most peculiar thing I have ever seen, sir," Arrast started, "The darkness was expelled and it showed us the most abnormal thing."

==TLoHP==

 _Ragnok had just left the room and Hollimer was trying his damnedest to remove the blood trackers. He had maybe two minutes until the Goblin King had to oblige Dumbledore with a visit._

" _Just a few more spells," the curse-breaker muttered to himself. His wand was glowing a myriad of different colours as he systematically broke down the arithmantic equations holding up the trackers._

 _The first three trackers broke in one go, for they were entwined within each other on the actual blood of Harry. The final one, though, that one was on the dampener itself and was being a pain in the arse to deal with._

" _That's it!" yelled Hollimer softly, "I'm removing the dampener to destroy the last tracker."_

 _The dampener was very crude. Being muggleborn, it was as if an American had taken the front half of a Rolls Royce and the back of a Ford and spliced the two together. It wasn't a pretty job and was more likely to harm Harry than to help him._

" _Almost there," mumbled Hollimer. The tracker began to glow, showing that it was being called on at that very second, so Hollimer did something risky. He brute forced his way into the dampener._

Please don't explode, please don't explode, _he thought to himself as he breached the dampener._

 _Harry's core did not explode, but it did release the largest amount of magical energy that Hollimer had ever come in contact with. The blood tracker was removed, as was the dark magic that had taken up residence within Harry._

 _The shade poured from Harry's scar and screeched an unholy screech. Hollimer had seconds to act before the thing did something, so he pulled the mage's box off his belt, opened it, and hoped he didn't die there._

 _When the box opened, the shade's voice raised in volume as it was sucked into the container. Hollimer closed it shut and locked the box using enchanted chains and magic._

 _The occupants looked at each other as though they didn't believe what just happened._

 _Then the doors slammed open and Ragnok sped in._

==TLoHP==

Ragnok's mouth openly hanged as he pondered over what the implications of this were.

He looked at Arrast, "Is young Potter healthy?"

Arrast waved his dagger over the boy spouting out incantations. After a few moments, he looked both pleased and concerned, "All right, here's what I have for you, sir. Young Potter is completely healthy. Not a thing is wrong with him physically or mentally."

"What about magically?" Bell asked worriedly.

"That's where things get difficult to say," Arrast approached the subject slowly, "His core is untouched by darkness and Dumbledore's magic…"

"I'm hearing a massive 'but' here, just get it over with," Bellatrix basically demanded.

"There's _something_ within his core. It's not his magic, it's not connected to the shade, nor is it leftovers from Dumbledore. I can tell you that it's not doing any damage, but it shouldn't _be_ there," Arrast ended with frustration. He was the best goblin healer this side of the equator.

Ragnok thought for a scant few seconds before speaking his will, "We will not worry about it for now. We will monitor it, but we will not lose sleep over it. Bella, take young Potter to Lord Black and speak to him. Make your case and tell Lord Black that you have Gringotts' blessing. We will take care of the shade and Dumbledore."

Bella nodded her head. Before she made to leave she asked one thing, "King Ragnok, may I commision another key for the Lestrange vault? I do not know what my _husband_ is doing, but I have yet to hear from him since last night, and I-"

She was cut off from a raising of Ragnok's hand, "You will have no need of worrying about Lord Lestrange, Madame. I had just received word before your arrival that his and his brother's magics have faded from this world. You have my condolences. You may pick up a key from your Account Manager, Grisik."

"Thank you, King Ragnok," Bella said meekly, "And not to sound ungracious, but why are you helping me so?"

Ragnok looked from his fellow goblins to Bella, "Madame Lestrange, of the thousands of witches and wizards who walk through those front doors, only three have truly treated us goblins with respect and camaraderie. Yourself, Pandora Lovegood, and Lily Potter. When I discovered that you had Lily's child… You held the offspring of one third of the people who treat us as wizards treat other wizards. You will always find an ally among the goblins. All I ask is that you pass it onto young Potter there."

"What of the Potters, or Sirius?" Bella asked, "Surely they were as respectful as me."

Ragnok gave a soft chuckle, "The Potters may not have been rude, but they were by no means respectful. Sirius was the same. You come into these sacred halls, and the first thing out of your mouth is not 'How do you do', but a traditional goblin greeting is what you say. You shake our hands, and you make sure that you are not a nuisance. Madame Lestrange, Bellatrix. You three humans are what gives me hope for the future. So, may your coffers be ever-flowing with wealth, and the blood never stop pouring from the foe's filth."

He reached out a hand. A hand that Bella certainly clasped the wrist of. Ragnok smiled once again. A warrior's clasp was what goblins greeted and departed each other with, not some flimsy handshake.

Bella turned for the door and left, her lips spread in a smile. Before she could get the main lobby of the bank, another goblin approached her. This one was her Account Manager.

"Account Manager Grisik," Bella began, "May your clan stay wealthy."

"As to yours, Madame Lestrange," he greeted, "I have your key and a message."

Bella took the key and waited for the message, "Lord Sirius Black has requested your presence at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He said that his mother told him that you were here. Follow me to the floo. It's safer now that we know Dumbledore is after young Potter."

Bella followed Gisik to the fireplaces of Gringotts. These were almost never used by witches and wizards. It was a security hazard.

She walked through the doors and saw how a dozen goblin shocktroopers stood guard with the heaviest of goblin armour. She approached the fireplace, took some powder, and spoke, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place."

==TLoHP==

When she exited the fireplace, she saw her cousin standing on the other side of the counter that acted as a bar. His wand was in hand, but it was pointed towards the ground.

"Hello, cousin," Bella spoke, trying to hide her nerves.

"Hello Bella," Sirius said, "It's been a while. Last I saw of you was before your wedding to that…"

"Being?" Bella supplied.

"Yeah, that," Sirius replied softly, "I see you've Harry right there. Mind if I hold him for a bit while you tell me what happened?"

Bella swallowed her fear as she responded, "Yeah, sure. Here you go."

She handed Harry to Sirius as gently as was possible. As Sirius started looking over him Bella began her story. She started two years beforehand when she rejoined the Death Eaters at her husband's _insistence_ and finished right before coming back to the London residence.

When she stated that she was the one that had killed James, Sirius' face turned a very slight shade of red, which was surprising, for Bella had expected an attack from him while he had Harry to prevent retaliation.

"I am quite angry that you are the reason why James cannot be buried, but I also cannot ignore that you protected Harry and was forced to do that act by Voldemort," Sirius started.

Bella interrupted, "Well, I could have used a differ-"

Sirius shook his head, "No, Voldewarts would have killed you otherwise. You know what happens to his followers who underperform while on a mission with him."

She nodded and thought back to a couple weeks before where someone who was going through their final test was hesitant while on a attack on Diagon with the Dark Lord. He did not return from the Alley. Alive, at least.

"I'm glad you are alive though," Sirius said.

"Why?" Bella was genuinely confused. He was supposed to hate her. Hell, they had faced each other at some points, once or twice.

"I remember the day you came to my house when I was nine. You sat in Reg's and my room quietly sobbing to yourself. You kept muttering something I couldn't hear. I never forgot that day. I've never seen you as hurt or broken as that day."

"Yeah, go ahead and gloat. That's the Sirius I know," Bella snarked.

"I'm not trying to gloat, let me finish," Sirius encouraged, "I didn't understand at the age of nine, but later on in life, especially during the last couple of years at Hogwarts, I realized what happened that day."

He looked at her with a look Bella had not seen in some time: sympathy. He spoke, "Jennings? That was her name, right? Tammie, Sammie, Sam-"

He paused as Bella lightly slapped the back of his head, "Samantha. Anyone who called her differently got slapped like you did."

He grinned, "It took me so long to figure it out. I was so worried that day. Strong Bella was in my room crying about something."

Bella motioned for him to get on with it.

He glanced at her nervously, "You- You loved her, didn't you?"

She instantly sputtered, "Nono-no, what?"

He looked at her knowingly, "Bella, I cried late last night when I saw James wasn't around anymore, and he was my brother. I didn't sob, and I didn't run away from home for the day to hide with my little cousins who wouldn't judge me for sobbing. It's all right. That is the only reason we are having this conversation. You were always putting up a front for Rodolphus, weren't you?"

Bella stared at the ground like a little kid who got caught stealing from the cookie jar.

 **Sketchy Scene Starts Here**

She simply nodded and barely whispered, "On the day we were married, I hadn't stayed a single night with him in the same house. He demanded service for the wedding night. I didn't want to, but he- he- he…"

"Bella, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Sirius said with anger in his eyes. Bella may have killed James, but she was still a Black.

"No, you need to know, especially as Lord Black," Bella continued, "He told me if I wasn't going to willingly, that he had ways of making me do it. Or he said he would just bind me and watch me be helpless as he had his way with me. He couldn't decide at first. I made it worse by backing towards the door. He laughed. This laugh though. It wasn't- it- I… I couldn't tell what it even was. It was the kind of laugh a nutter has when they go into St. Mungo's Mind Ward for the seventh time."

"He said I'd regret not giving myself to him. He stood from the bed and came at me slowly, as if I was trapped. I tried opening the door and found that I was trapped. There was a locking charm, and I didn't expect this, so I didn't have my wand on me."

"He cackled as he grabbed me and dragged me to the bed. Then he proceeded to beat me into submission. For minutes. Afterwards he- he- he- he…."

Bella broke down as these old wounds were opened.

Sirius put the sleeping Harry on the table and encompassed Bella in a warm hug and spoke calmly into her ear, "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

She cried onto his shoulder, "He said he'd do it to me over and over again if I so much as hinted at what happened. After that day… it happened more than I wish to speak of. It happened so much that eventually I simply stopped fighting. I didn't have the energy or the hope to fight back anymore. One day, I even made potions to make the pain stop-"

"No!" Sirius gasped while still hugging her, "Which one?"

She started sobbing as she began again, "Draught of Living Death. I was brewing it in the servant's quarters since it was empty. I had just finished it and wrote to Regulus and your mother. I managed to get the vial to my mouth, but before I could finish the act…"

Bella broke once more, "He-he… HE burst through the door and _Expelliarmus_ the vial from my hand. That night… That… That night I was put unconscious for days. And it wasn't from a potion."

She tried and failed to gather herself, "After that, I did whatever he ordered of me. I would have robbed Gringotts if it meant that I would either die or not have to be put through that again."

 **Sketchy Scene End Here**

Bella felt something wet drop on her shoulder, so she pulled out of Sirius' embrace and looked at him. He had silent tears coming down from his eyes as they looked at each other.

He restarted the hug and said to her gently, "I've always loved you as a sister, I hope you knew this. You were always there for me when Walburga raged against me and my views. I'm beginning to understand that I didn't return the favour. For that, I owe you everything. When you needed me the most, I was away."

Bella actually chuckled softly, "Sirius, you madman. You were only a second-year when I got married. There was nothing you could have done."

Sirius shook his head in disagreement, "I could have been in your company like I was when Samantha was murdered. I should have been there. I should have been there."

He wiped the smaller amount of tears from his eyes, "Bella, there was something, or more precisely, someone we needed to talk about."

Bella nodded her head in defeat, "Yes, Harry Potter."

Sirius nodded as well, "Indeed. What should we do with him?"

Bella couldn't quite believe his words, " _We_? I'm a part of this decision?"

"Considering how you've cared for him this past day," Sirius began, 'I'd say you're involved. Besides, I know about the curse that nearly sliced you in two. Mother bellowed about it for days."

Bella gathered what courage she had left, "I'd like to raise him. I don't want to replace his parents, so I won't lie to him, but I want to raise him."

Sirius picked up Harry and petted his hair. As Sirius gave Harry to Bella he said, "I never should have been the godfather. I've always been too reckless to care for a child. Bloody hell, if I had found Harry last night, I probably would have dropped him with Dumbledore and hunted down Pettigrew. Who knows what would have happened then. I'll visit from time to time, and I'll ensure you'll never have to worry about finances, but-"

Bella had a tear running down her face, "Sirius, you young fool, I've got the entire Lestrange vault in my possession. The two brothers died somehow. I'll never have to worry about money again."

"All right, Bella," Sirius spoke, "But I'd like you to stay here tonight. I've prepared a room with a bed and a crib. I don't feel safe with how Dumbledore was during the hearing this early afternoon. He had an obsession with finding Harry."

Bella's face scrunched up as she relayed what happened that evening with said bundle of rainbows.

Sirius whispered angrily, "That stupid, _fucking_ walking circus."

Bella was awestruck from Sirius' outburst about the man who farts rainbows according to the light.

"We'll worry about him later," Sirius stated as he kissed her forehead in a brotherly manner, "For now, get some sleep. We'll have a lot to do in the coming years, so rest now.

 **AN: All right, It took three chapters, but we've finally passed 24 hours in story. I swear the rest of the story won't be this slow, but for the beginning, it kind of had to be in order to say everything that needed to be said. Still not sure how I feel about this. But if I cried while writing it, it must be ok.**

 **AN2: I've edited some stuff in Chapter I and here. Mostly some spelling I noticed. If anyone sees a word that is missing a K, T, or a C, let me know. My keyboard doesn't like those three keys.**


	4. Chapter IV

**Originally Uploaded: 5/11/18**

 **Updated On: 03/10/19**

 **AN: Memories of violation below, fair warning. I prefer to know before I get to it, so I'm giving the same courtesy to you guys. I love the reviews and watching the number of reads is always so motivating.**

Chapter IV

20 March 1982

Sirius sat down Bella across from him at the table as he spoke to her, "Alright, today's the spring equinox. As always there's the Wizengamot meeting today to induct any new members and to propose new laws and codes. I'd like you take the Lestrange seat today."

Bella looked at him as if he were mad, which he was, "Why should I take the Lestrange seat? I've got to take care of Harry. I haven't the time for the Wizengamot."

Sirius drank some of the water in front of him, "We need the Lestrange seat to make sure we can protect Harry politically. We can always defend him with our wands, but if Dumbledore pulls something in the courts, then we'll have to intervene. We can't do that with just the Black seat. It's only ten votes. Add in the Lestrange seat and we have twenty. We could theoretically create a whole new political bloc."

Bella tossed the idea around in her mind before speaking, "What do we do with Harry while we're here? I can't just leave him with Kreacher."

Sirius bit his lip, "Don't get loud, but there's always, you know."

Bella was beginning to get frustrated, "No, I don't know, Sirius. What are you talking about."

Sirius continued in a small voice, "Andromeda."

There was silence for a few moments as Bella realized why he was so worried. She looked him in the eyes and said, "Doesn't she have a child as well? With that muggleborn… Tonks wasn't it?"

Sirius nodded to both questions, "Nymphadora is nine years old, turning ten in November."

"Well, the final question, then, is do I drop off Harry, or you?" Bella finished.

"Personally, I'd say both of us, there's going to be a lot of shit coming at the two of us from people like Crouch, Dumbledore, and maybe even Bagnold. It's going to be rough, so it'd be better if we can get Andi on our side before Dumb-as-a-door-"

Bella started sputtering while containing her laughter, "What did you just call him?"

Sirius looked at er with false innocence, "What? Albus Dumbass-of-course?"

She simply shook her head in exasperation, "Let's just go to Andi's. Does she have a floo set up?"

Sirius nodded and the three of them headed to fireplace.

"Tonks Residence!" Sirius said into the fire and Bella followed behind.

==TLoHP==

When Bella came out of the fire, she could immediately tell that Andi was pissed to all hells. Her face had lost its normal glee and instead was replaced by the red tinge of anger that ran in the Black family.

"Sirius," She whisper-shouted, "When I said you could come over, I didn't say you could bring guests! Who the bloody hell even is sh-"

Andromeda stopped herself when she realized who just came out of the fireplace, "B-Bella?"

Said witch only nodded her head slowly.

Andi set down the cup she had in hand and rushed Bella, robes flowing in the speeded walk. Bella didn't know what to do. Harry was in her arms, so she simply stood there.

She expected a lot of things. A slap, a punch, shouting, anger, whatever. She did not expect a crying Andromeda to embrace Bella with a hug that they hadn't shared since they were both young.

"Bella, why did you stop talking to me?" Andi said, "You were always there for Cissa and I, and then something happened. I'm not even talking about my disownment. You still wrote me every other day."

Bella found that she, too, had tears running down her face, "Rodolphus found your letters. For every one he found he hit me. I-I… I couldn't take the pain after that. Three hundred letters is a lot of bruises to hide from everyone else."

Andi suddenly let go of Bella, stepped back, and showed an unbelievable face. She began stuttering, "He what- what? He hit you for talking to me? That's horrible!"

Bella nodded solemnly, "That's not the worst he did to me, but those he did for other reasons. I was forbidden from talking to you or Cissa, or else."

Andi wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke, "Well, you're not here for a social call, so what can I do for you?"

Bella motioned to the child in her arms, "I need you to watch Harry while I go to the Wizengamot meeting. I didn't want to leave him with Kreacher. Morgana knows how insane he is."

"Quick question: who's is he?" Andi asked pointedly, "That there is Lily Potter's son, Harry Potter."

Andi looked up with shock and then back and forth between Sirius and Bella, "Why do you have him? Dumbledore's been yelling through the Order about having to find him and something about being barred from Gringotts. Why do you have Harry Potter?"

"Short story is that I was there when the Potters were hit," Bella started, "Voldemort and Rodolphus forced me into it as a 'final test' of loyalty. Voldy bit the dust and so did the Potters. I'm infertile due to a past injury, and took Hary since no one else was there to help, and I couldn't leave him there with the roof collapsed."

"Why not give him to Dumbledore?" Andi began, "He's been making it out that the Potters wanted Harry to be placed in his trust-"

Sirius barked out a laugh, "That's a good one. James might have agreed to that, but Lily would have torched whoever suggested that to them. See, I had to learn the hard way that Dumbledore isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Lily just knew from the beginning. Even in Hogwarts she knew, and I should have followed her."

"What happened to you Sirius?" asked Andromeda.

"If Dumbledore would have got his wish granted in sealing the wills of Lily and James, I would be in Azkaban right now. Everyone thought I was the secret keeper, including Dumbledore, when we specifically told him that we switched it after Dumbledore initially cast the Fidelius and-"

Sirius stopped as the grandfather clock chimed half twelve, "Shit, we've got to go. Andi, please promise not to tell Dumbledore of Harry, please?"

Andi held her wand, "I swear on my life and magic that I shall not tell Dumbledore of Harry Potter until you see fit to do so."

She cast a quick _Lumos_ for tradition's sake.

Andi pulled Bella into one last hug and whispered, "Love you, sis."

Bella returned the embrace, "Love you too, Andi."

She followed Sirius to the fireplace where they went to the Ministry of Magic.

==TLoHP==

Bella walked out of the fire and looked around her. Sirius was right ahead of her, and the room she was in was full of people. She also never really noticed how bleak the ministry was. The colour scheme was very dominating. Greys, blacks, it was so bland.

She was interrupted by Sirius wrapping their arms together and headed off to the Wizengamot.

"Alright, Bella," Sirius started in his coaching voice, "We've already been through this, but one more time just to be sure. I'm going to introduce the issue-"

She cut him off, "As the Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and then I'm going to cite duress as my excuse for any crimes they would wish to punish me with. I'll even provide memories."

"Bella," Sirius warned, "That's a big step right there. Telling them allows you to skirt around the details. Memories…"

"I don't get that with memories, but it will seal the case assuredly," Bella ended the conversation.

By the end of all that, they had reached the doors to the Wizengamot. They walked through where Sirius headed towards the seats for the Lords and Ladies, and Bella went to sit down in the audience seats.

The room was filling up rapidly, and, soon enough, it was full when the herald came out spoke in a prim and proper voice, "All rise for the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, and the Chief Warlock, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Hear yee. Hear yee. Hear yee."

They went through the whole process of standing up, listening to Dumbledore call role for heads of each department, and then finally, "I open to the floor for any new headships."

Sirius stepped forward while lighting his wand.

"Lord Black?"

"I would like to announce that the Noble and Most Ancient House of Lestrange has had a change in headship. Bellatrix Lestrange née Black shall take the seat," Sirius stated with all the conviction of a noble Lord.

"Objections?" Albus sent to the rest of the house heads.

"The House of Longbottom has an objection!' Augusta all but yelled, "The only reason she is taking the Ladyship is because her husband and his brother were killed while attempting to murder my son and his wife, and she's no better!"

A cry of 'Hear hear!" came from the light as a cacophony of "Boo!" came from the dark.

"Order!" demanded Dumbledore, "Order, I say, Order!"

It took several blasts of sound from his wand to quiet down the court.

"Director Bartemius Crouch Senior," began Albus, "please relay the relevant laws for taking up headship of a house."

"According to the House Continuance Act of 1944, the person wishing to take the headship of a house must be the next in line for succession," Crouch looked at Bellatrix for a response.

"I am the last of my house."

"The person may not be a suspect of any crimes-"

"Ha!" Lady Longbottom taunted in victory.

" _Unless_ the person can claim that said crimes were committed unwillingly," he gave another pointed stare at Bellatrix.

"I will say that all crimes I have committed in the past have been done under duress at the threat of my own life-"

Another wave of outcry came from the light.

"And I am willing to show the relevant memories to the court to prove it," Bella ended with a snarl at the petty members.

Albus took over from Crouch, "Raise of wands for the examination of Madame Lestrange's memories that prove duress?"

Most wands came up from all sides.

"For those against?"

Only a few wands from the minor houses and a couple of dark noble houses came up.

Albus nodded at the results, "In the accordance of ministerial laws, Auror Banks will perform the transfer of memories from Madame Lestrange to the pensieve."

An aging auror came from the side of the room to Bella and spoke calmly, "Think of the memories you wish to show the Wizengamot, and force them to the front of your mind."

" _Legilimens Accipere_ ," the auror cast quietly. Four different memories came from her to the auror's wand.

The auror submitted them to the pensieve and addressed the Wizengamot, "The first memory is from the wedding night of Bellatrix Lestrange to Rodolphus Lestrange."

The memory played out, and the members of the Wizengamot slowly but surely got more and more distressed and sick as they witnessed the violation of Bellatrix's body.

The auror shakedly went forth and spoke, "The second memory is approximately two years after this."

This memory was the one of Rodolphus finding Andi's and Cissa's letters, but it also showed what happened later that night.

 **Sketchy Start**

Bella was a sobbing mess in her personal quarters, if she could call it that. The room was barely large enough for her bed and a desk. There was a small closet in there, but that was it.

She hugged her knees as she sat in a fetal position on her bed. She never allowed herself to show pain in front of Roddie, for he would laugh the maniacal laugh and torture her more. She was also bare on her bed as a continued punishment for 'contacting a blood traitor'.

She was about to pull the covers over her when the monster himself opened the door, smiling.

"Well, well, well, I think it's time for some playing, don't you?" He said in a long drawl.

Bella switched from sobbing to whimpering and scooting even closer to the wall than she already was, as if she could disappear through it. She didn't have her wand because Rodolphus always kept it with him while they were at _home_.

The people of the courts were horrified at what followed after. Soon enough the auror once more started the next memory.

"This memory is from the next day."

The memory started with Bella brewing a potion, and the potion masters and mistresses gasped almost immediately as they recognized it as a Draught of Living Death.

It continued to show Bella finish the potion and her writing to Andi and Cissa, as well as one to Sirius.

 _That's strange,_ thought Sirius, _I thought she said she wrote to Regie and my mother._

She gave the three letters to the owl and sent him off. All she had to do know was let the potion cool enough to last indefinitely.

Not even three minutes later, Bella had a vial to her mouth when Rodolphus burst through the door with a wand in his right hand and papers in his left.

He _Expelliarmus_ the vial and shouted at her, "You thought you could escape the easy way, bitch?"

She fell down on her bum and started frantically scooting away from him, simply muttering 'no' repeatedly.

"If you want to use the servant's quarters so much, why don't I treat you like one."

By the end of the memory, Bella's body was limp on the floor as Rodolphus had a house elf fix her up. Even the elf had tears in her eyes fo how Bella was treated.

The auror walked forth unsteadily one last time to announce the last memory, "This last memory is from two years and six months ago, three days before taking the mark."

That had mumblings coming from quite a few people.

The pensieve showed Bella in front of Roddie and Voldemort, except she was in what appeared to be a dungeon hanging from the wall in chains.

She wore nothing while Rodolphus talked at her, "So, ickle fickle Bella, are you ready to join the ranks?"

She did nothing but send a glob of spit and blood at him before saying, "Go bugger yourself on a broom handle."

He was about to backhand her when Voldemort raised his hand to motion for Rodolphus to stop. He simply said, "No, if she wants to act like a mudblood and be defiant, let us treat her as such. Gather the ranks."

At that Roddie laughed again.

Bella started thrashing against the chains with a newly found vigor, telling them to wank each other off.

It was a few hours later that saw Bella in the middle of a ballroom placed on a table stripped bare and bound to it. There were perhaps thirty to eighty Death Eaters staring at her, licking her lips.

Voldemort stood at his 'throne' and spoke to his 'noble' servants, "Today I have gathered you here to teach this wannabe blood traitor a lesson. Six years ago she joined us on one mission where sh could not even protect herself from an order member. Now she is in front of us for defying the orders of her husband to join our ranks. I believe this should not go unpunished, what do you say?"

There was a wave of agreement coming from the ranks. Voldemort grinned that hideous grin and said nothing but motion for his minions to have 'fun'.

For hours she laid there. For the first forty minutes she fought. After that, though, she simply sat there emotionless. She felt nothing, heard nothing. She was dead to the world that never helped her.

 **Sketchy End**

The memory stopped there and the room was silent, except for one Augusta Longbottom standing from her seat and moving to the audience seats. She made her way to Bella and took one of Bella's hands in both of her own.

Augusta had tears slowly making their way down her face as she spoke, "My dear, I am so sorry. I- I simply did not know. You have my deepest apologies."

Bella returned her gratitude and Augusta made her way back to her seat. Upon reaching it, she turned around and stated, "I believe that settles _any_ objections this court has."

No one went forth after that statement. Everyone could see the challenge in Augusta's eyes, and no one survived against the Iron Lady of the Wizengamot.

"Then all those in favour of allowing Bellatrix Lestrange née Black to take the Lestrange seat on this Wizengamot?" Dumbledore asked out of formality. Even he knew that only an idiot would vote against this. Political suicide, this was.

All wands rose in acceptance of Bella.

"Against?" Albus questioned to no one.

Silence filled the room for three seconds.

"Alright," Albus led, "Madame Lestrange, welcome to the Wizengamot. You may be seated next to the house that had put forth your headship."

Bella took a prideful stride as she went to the open seat on Sirius' left. She shot him a smile as she sat down all proper like.

The session went on for quite a while, and when the legislative part ended, the courts began.

==TLoHP==

Albus started the first session, "Lord Lucius Malfoy of the Ancient, you are here today under the murder and assault of Basic Auror John Taylor on the first of March in the year 1982. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty, Chief Warlock," Lucius said with a bit of attitude.

"Prosecution, bring forth the evidence," Dumbledore ordered. They went through all the evidence against Lucius, and he simply sat there, unfazed.

After everything was stated against Lucius, his solicitor stood and gave his defence, "Honourable Chief Warlock, my client would like to administer that he was under the effects of an _Imperius_ at the time of his so-called Death Eater activities."

The room was still for a bit, and all that could be heard was giggling, and then a full on roar of laughter.

Albus interrupted the cackling madwoman, "Madame Lestrange, there is nothing funny about this."

"That's where you are wrong, Dumbledore. Claiming _Imperius_ would have worked, as long as you had no past or current Death Eaters willing to speak out, and I am going to speak out."

"Madame Lestrange, under what grounds would you be able to give evidence? One must be an expert in their field in order to administer such evidence to these courts," Albus tried to persuade.

Bella looked to Crouch Sr, who had somehow saved his job from people finding out about his son. She said to him, "Crouch, as a Death Eater for two and a half years, and married to one for over a decade, could I be considered an expert in the internal affairs of Death Eater activities and how to join them?"

Barty pondered over it for a bit before Dumbledore decided to butt in, "Madame Lestrange, that is an utterly preposterous-"

Barty interrupted Albus' interruption with a predatory smile on his face, "But also _ingenious_ idea. Madame Lestrange, please step to the witness seat and take the following oath."

She went to the seat, took the oath, and promptly sat.

"Madame Lestrange, please tell us how Death Eaters come to be," was Barty's leading question.

"I'll give you the long version. Voldemort demanded several things in order to be a Death Eater. One must be ruthless, obedient, and as lose to moraless as possible. To make certain of this, the entrance test for Death Eaters usually involved violence of the most disgusting extremes, and it must be done _willingly_. Every three to four months Voldemort would take a muggleborn and _Imperius_ them. He would then have them do a deed and then attempt to put the Dark Mark on them. This was to show us what happened to spies, fakes, et cetera. The muggleborns never survived more than a couple of minutes. The Mark adsorbed their magical essence and abolished it. Seeing as Lucy over there is alive and well, he had to do a deed for Voldemort."

She paused for water then continued, "In your case, Lucy, Roddie decided to use your deed as a fear tactic to me. You see, he just loved the way you were able to find a muggle in Britain who looked almost exactly like me. He told me how you _Crucio_ her into a limp nothingness and used her over and over, reapplying-"

"Objection!" yelled Lucius' solicitor, "There is no evidence besides hearsay."

"Madame Lestrange?" Albus asked in a questioning tone.

Bella smirked, "Well, lucky for you Lucy, Roddie put the memory in his pensieve, if the DMLE wants access to it and any other of Roddie's memories, they are welcome to it."

The solicitor's arms slumped at hearing that. He turned to Lucius and whispered something into his ear. Lucius made a rotten face and stood to be recognized by the courts.

Albus motioned for him to speak, so he did, "I would like to change my verdict to guilty."

Mutterings and ramblings started from around the gallery. They settled before too long, and Albus spoke, "In such case, the punishment will be decided by the Director of the DMLE. Barty Crouch Sr, please dole out your punishment."

Crouch thought for five straight minutes, all the while Lucius sweated. After those long minutes, he spoke, "Seeing as quite a few of Voldemort's followers are still free from the law, a breakout from Azkaban is quite likely. It was never the most defended place from the outside. The inside is amazingly defended. The outside isn't so."

He paused for that to sink in, "In accordance to that and the precedent of the last war we partook in, I have no choice but to sentence you to death."

Outbursts both positive and negative rang from the halls, taking a bit to settle. Albus appeared worried, "No surely, Mr. Crouch, this is unnece-"

Barty slammed his hand on the table in front of him, "You know damn well that this is necessary, Albus, or are you trying to save him like you saved your Death Eater pet Snape?"

Albus was offended, "Why, you insinuate that Severus is not innocent-"

"You heard Bellatrix! What muggle girl did your boy rape? Or worse, what muggleborn witch did he stick his wand into? These Death Munchers have killed both purebloods and those of non pureblood families. The punishment for the assault and/or murder of an Auror is life in Azkaban or death by Dementor. The decision is up to the Director and no one else, and the punishment is to be carried out immediately, as stated in our laws. Aurors, bring in the Dementor and restrain Lord Malfoy."

His orders were carried out as Albus spent the entire time sputtering about.

"Lucius Malfoy," Crouch spoke, "I hereby sentence you to death by the Kiss. Your possessions shall be searched and your vaults be put on hold until said searches are finished. Should your wife be complicit in your activities, she too shall share your fate. Any last words?"

Lucius stood there in front of the Dementor that sent out a feeling of loss and defeat. He simply said, "I'll swear on my life and magic that Narcissa was not a part of any of my activities. She knew of the Death Eaters, but she did not know _any_ specifics. Spare her, please, for my son."

Barty nodded at the single most noble thing that had ever come out of a Malfoy's mouth, and decided to grant his request, "Aye, lad, you'll get your final wish on that. Good day, Lucius."

The Dementor was released and started to suck out Lucius' soul. It did not take long. A scant few seconds really.

After the deed had been done, a couple more Death Eaters were brought in and sentenced to the same fate.

At the end of it all, Sirius walked out with Bella towards the atrium until they were stopped by a sobbing witch. She embraced Bella with a hug and couldn't stop muttering "thank you" to Bella.

Bella looked apprehensive, but hugged back and spoke calmingly to the woman, "Shh, it's alright. Everything is alright. You okay?"

The mystery witch stood back and said, "Yes Bella, I am now."

Bella's jaw dropped, "Cissa?"

Cissa nodded as she wiped her face, "Yes, I can't thank you enough for dealing with that _man_."

Bella nodded in understanding, "Better, worse, or equal to Roddie?"

"Worse," Cissa said, "He would bring home his conquests, do whatever he wanted to them, and then he'd bring me in to heal them. I refused the first time. That's how I got this."

She moved the part of her dress that covered her left shoulder, showing Bella a nasty cursed scar in the motion.

"That complete and utter _bastard_ ," Bella growled out.

Cissa slowly cried again while nodding, "He- he was not a pleasant person. It was always my greatest fear when all the possible heads of House Black were dead. Two sisters and an outcast. Oh how we have fallen."

Sirius smirked at Cissa, "You're looking at the current Lord of House Black right now, Cissa. It's how I put forth Bella for House Lestrange."

"I was only here for the trial," replied Narcissa while embracing Sirius.

"As much as I would love to stay here, I do wish to go home. You are invited if you so choose. Is your son taken care of?"

"Yes, I left him with the Greengrasses," answered Cissa.

"Alright, to Number 12 we go," Sirius began heading off to the floos.

"Sirius!" yelled the old coot himself, "We need to speak."

 **AN: Yes, that's a cliffhanger, and no, I don't care. Sorry for how long since the last update. It's been about a week since then, but I couldn't keep up with a new chapter every two days, so once a week is what it is going to be. I'd love comments on what I did, especially the Sketchy scenes because I am unsure of them. I love what's been said so for, and would like to point out that this story has had almost a thousand views, and that's just amazing to me, so hope you enjoyed. Man 4k words was tough. We're also going to be speeding through Harry's childhood a bit starting the chapter after next.**


	5. Chapter V

**Originally Uploaded: 11/11/18**

 **Updated On: 03/10/19**

 **AN: Alright, after two chapters of nitty gritty stuff, I can say that this chapter is nowhere near as unpleasant. I'm really happy over just how much attention this thing is getting, and I simply cannot stop writing it. This chapter might feel a bit off because of its tone, but it's meant to be a bit humourous. Anyways, onto the story!**

Chapter V

20 March 1982

 _Oh shite,_ Sirius thought to himself, _this is going to be fun_.

"Why isn't it Albus Dumbledore. How have you been since the last time I saw you? When was that anyways? Oh, right, my trial. That was just _splendid_ , don't you think?" Sirius feigned friendliness.

Albus was either playing along or oblivious, "Well, I'm quite well, thank you. I need to talk to you about something of utmost urgency."

Albus paused for Sirius to get the hint. Sirius, who was being an arse, waited.

Albus sighed, "Alone, please?"

"Oh! That's why there was that awkward silence. I'm oh-so terribly sorry, but I must insist that my cousins hear what you have to say. I'm just going to tell them anyways. I would also like to be by Narcissa. She did just witness the death of her husband of several years," Sirius flashed a fake smile at the old man.

Albus appeared to be thinking over his options, and with another sigh, he continued, "I know that Harry's supposed to be in your custody, and I've been trying to find him to make sure he ends up where he needs to be… with you, of course. I just haven't had any luck. He seems to have vanished off the face of the planet after Voldemort razed Godric's Hollow. Have you heard anything?"

Sirius gave Bella a most peculiar _look_ , asking about how to proceed. They've been communicating like this for ages. Nod meant go for the prank answer, and shake meant be more serious than all the seriousness that Sirius could muster.

After what seemed like an eternity, she shook her head her head ever so slightly.

 _Awwwww, I wanted to mess with him_ , Sirius thought.

Outwards he spoke, "I'm quite sorry Albus, but I must know why you yourself wish to know. It is quite unusual to be worried about the child of two people who you could only call allies at the most."

"It is imperative that I find the boy and ensure his safety," Albus said while not quite saying anything.

"That's all fine and well, Albus, but I am afraid I haven't heard much of anything about him. Hell, I haven't been able to find him, and Bella and I have been using the entirety of the Black assets to do so. If we do find him, well, it won't be your problem," Sirius finished as he looked to Bella and Cissa, "Come, Cousins, it is time to depart this dreary place."

With that, Albus watched them leave with a glare in his eyes and plotting in his mind.

==TLoHP==

When the three of them had exited the floo and stepped into Andi's kitchen, they found the sight pleasant. Nymphadora "Don't Call Me That" Tonks was giving Harry quite a show using her Metamorphmagus abilities, and he absolutely adored it. He laughed and laughed and laughed at the different faces.

All three of the Blacks who had just entered the kitchen joined in the laughter, shocking Tonks like nothing else. Upon seeing who they were, she simply yelled, "Mum! Cousin Sirius is here! As well as Auntie Bella and someone else!"

Bella could hear who she assumed was Andi coming down the stairs. She was screaming at Sirius, "Alright, Sirius. Who did you invite into my humble abode this time? I swear if it is some floozy-"

Andi felt some serious déjà vu as she recognized Narcissa, "Cissa?"

Cissa meekly nodded her head and fiddled with her hands behind her back. Andi rushed forth, pushing Sirius out of the way and enclosed Narcissa in a hug.

Andi had some tears coming down her face as she spoke softly, "Morgana, Cissa, when was the last time we got to see each other?"

Cissa returned the tears as she spoke with a smile on her face, "I do believe it was the day you ran off with that… how did mother put it? No good, daughter stealing, barbarian of a beast?"

They both chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

"Not to interrupt anything," Tonks started, "but who is the weird woman you are hugging, mum?"

Andi let go of Cissa and looked at her daughter, "Nymphadora, this is your Auntie Narcissa, my other sister."

Tonks' face lit up, "Cool! Now I have three members of the family who can agree with me when I say Nymphadora is a terrible name."

Cissa openly laughed at that. Andi looked at Cissa and lightly smacked her arm. Andi said, "Alright you misfits and cretins, take Harry and go home. It's getting pretty late and I'd like for Nymphadora-"

"Muuuuuum!"

"-to get some sleep," she finished through the interruption.

The other Blacks laughed at Tonks' antics, and Bella went and picked Harry up.

"Thank you so much, Andi, for watching him," Bella started, "I really appreciate it. Have a good night, love you, sis."

"I love the four of you, now, shoo, shoo! Off with you!" Andi said while laughing, so the three Blacks and Harry went through the floo back to Number 12.

==TLoHP==

Stepping into the kitchen, Sirius spoke, "Well, now we have Dumbledore to worry about. As if we didn't have _enough_ quarrelsome people in our lives."

The other two simply nodded interestingly, and Sirius quickly ended that line of conversation.

He turned to Narcissa and struck up conversation, "So, Cissa, what are you going to do now that good ole Lucius is no longer a problem?"

She smiled softly, "I'm going to invite some Aurors to the manor and let them find what they can. I'm almost positive that something will come from it. The more bleeding bastards that end up soulless, the better. I don't want to hear of another poor girl like myself and Bella going through any of that shite ever again."

Sirius smiled at the swears coming from Cissa, "Do you wish to remain at the manor, or would you and Draco like to stay here with Bella, Harry, and me? Merlin knows how many rooms are vacant here, and it would give Kreacher something to do."

Cissa pondered the idea for a bit before responding, "Alright, Siri, I'll accept your offer. It'll be nice to be with family again. Speaking of family, when are you reinstating Andi back into the Black Family?"

Sirius spoke, "I actually didn't know that I could do that. I thought banishment was a permanent thing."

"Sirius, the Lord of the House can undo almost anything past Lords have done. Except binding contracts, those are as close to permanent as things get," Cissa said while pointedly looking at Sirius.

"Looks like I need to read up on all this Lordly stuff. Never thought I'd be having to get my toes wet in the Sea of Political Bullshite," Sirius cracked a smile.

Cissa went to the floo and told Sirius, "Let me go get Draco from the Greengrassses, and then I'll be right back after getting some things from the manor."

Sirius gave her a quick hug before she left. He turned around to see Bella smirking at him.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," she responded, "It's just really nice to see the family getting well together again. It's been too long since that last happened."

Sirius nodded, and then his face turned solemn, "I still can't believe that Andi was the only one of us Blacks to make it out alright, and she's not even a Black anymore."

"I can't believe that Cissa is still functioning," Bella all but whispered, "She told me of some things that bastard did to her over the years. She's really strong."

Sirius came over and hugged her while placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead, "So, too, are you."

"No I'm not," Bella pouted, "I took the Mark, didn't I?"

"Yes, but what did they do to you to force you to take the Mark? _That_ shows strength."

Bella hugged him again, and then she wiped a stray tear from her eye. It had been awhile since she had been this emotionally scattered. She had been trying to heal herself from the past decade of abuse, and it was slow going.

Sirius patted her on the back and jokingly ordered, "Alrighty, young miss, off to bed with you. I'm going to stay here and wait for Cissa and Draco."

After an hour or so of Bella going to sleep, the fireplace sputtered and Cissa walked through with Draco in her arms and two house elves behind her.

"Sirius, I'd like for you to meet my two house elves. This is Mippy, and this eccentric one is Dobby," Cissa introduced. This Dobby was a weird one. His eyes kept flicking back and forth, scanning around for something.

"Dobby," Sirius started, "You okay?"

"Yes Mister Lord Black, sir," Dobby muttered, "I bes doing okays. Nothings bes wrong with Dobby."

"Dobby, Mippy, please take our belongings and put them in the room that Lord Black has set up.

"Yes, Mistress Narcissa," Mippy said with some elegance, "We will set up yours and young master's room."

As they left, Cissa turned to Sirius, "We're going to have a lot of work to do. Albus isn't going to stop searching for Harry on our word."

"You're right, but seeing as I am Harry's godfather, and Bella is his blood adopted mother, there's nothing he can do about it should he discover it. The goblins won't allow him to get to the Potters' vaults, and the Wizengamot won't want to piss me off," Sirius finished.

He leaned in and planted a kiss on Draco's head and gave Cissa a hug, "Now, as I told your sister, off to bed. We have things to do."

 **AN: Alright, I'm ending it here because I'm going to start the time skips starting next chapter, I'm thinking next chapter will be when Harry's five or so, and from then we'll get closer to Hogwarts.**

 **This part of the AN is not story related, but it is infinitely more important. 100 years ago to this day, World War One ended. Four years of bloody conflict the likes of which the world had never seen was ended on that 11th of November. We as a people and species suffered a lot during those four years. 20 million dead, 21 million wounded. Cities ceased to exist, and economies were in shambles. The war itself was horrendous. Weapons that were unheard of before were brought to bear. Gases, tanks, aeroplanes, et cetera. Some of these weapons so devastating that the world agreed to never use them again in any situation.**

 **During and after the war, people had called it "The Great War" or "The War to End All Wars". People had thought that after all that devastation and carnage there would be no heart for such widespread conflicts. However, the terms of surrender for the losing side were not nice in any sense of the word. Germany and its allies were left in an abysmal state, not even able to rebuild correctly due to the reparations they now owed to the Triple Entente. When a man by the name of Adolf Hitler was able to pull Germany out of the gutter by providing jobs and economic growth, no one batted an eye. This man was responsible for rebuilding Germany as global power once more.**

 **The people who thought there would never be another war of the same magnitude of WWI were right. There wasn't one of the same magnitude, for WWII was worse in every way. More casualties, more devastation, more onslaught. That war is still the war with the most dead than any other war.**

 **So today, on this 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, go out and thank those who went off to conflict, either willingly or not. Thanks those who manned the walls of your country when others wouldn't. Thank those who have lost their sons and daughters to blood and battle. Thank those who lost mothers and fathers at home and in far away lands. Be thankful, but never forget. Be thankful to those who still live, but never forget those who put down the ultimate sacrifice for their country and family. Those who saw their love for the last time before being shipped off. Those who are unknown to all but themselves.**

 **Be thankful, but** _ **never**_ **forget.**

 **They Who Writes**


	6. Chapter VI

**Originally Uploaded: 17/11/18**

 **Updated On: 03/10/19**

 **AN: All right, we're timeskipping now, fellow beings.**

Chapter VI

31 October 1986

Sirius and a six year old Harry Lestrange-Potter walked through the door of Number 12. Harry had just finished his schooling for the day at London Primary, and Sirius was the one who picked Harry up on Fridays.

Then the future lord of Houses Black, Lestrange, and Potter yelled out, "Mum! Mum! I have a friend!"

"Aww, sweetie," replied Bella with a smile, "What's his name?"

"Not his! Her! _Her_ name," Harry berated the older witch while still jumping up and down.

"Oh, it's a _her_ ," Bella teased, "Well, then, Mr. I Have A Friend, what's _her_ name?"

"Mia!" Harry yelled out as if that answered everything.

"Well, who is this Mia? What's she like?" Bella pestered. She was having entirely too much fun with this, "And why haven't I heard about her before?"

Harry drew in a large breath before speaking, "Mia is Mia. She's super smart, _totally_ bril. She said she has a high int- intella- intelleegants?"

"Intelligence, Harry," Bella chuckled. This young miss was smart if she was teaching Harry these words, "Now, why haven't you talked about her before?"

"She wasn't my friend before, now she is!" Harry exclaimed, "Before she said we were only akwe- akwaintances, yeah, that's it! Now we're friends!"

"Acquaintances, Harry. What happened for you to become friends?"

"There was this meanie that stole Mia's books! And then he tore out a page! And then he tore that page in half! She was mad, mum, really _really_ mad. I don't know what she did, but the meanie went flying into a wall! And she didn't touch him!" Harry finished in awe.

That made Bella's eyes widen a bit. _Muggleborn, most likely_ , she thought to herself.

"What happened after that?" Bella questioned.

"He got back up! And he ran at her! So I ran into him… And he fell to the ground. I took Mia and we ran to the liberry. We stayed there until class started again," Harry stated proudly.

"Well, saving someone from a bully warrants ice cream, don't you think, Siri?" Bella asked.

Sirius perked his head from the kitchen and looked at Bella in questioning, "Huh? Didn't hear you."

"Harry saved someone from a bully, I think tonight's ice cream night."

"Okay, after dinner we'll go down to the parlor on the corner of the high street-"

Sirius was cut off by Harry, "No."

"No ice cream?" Sirius looked at him as if her were daft.

"Mia wants me and you guys to come for dinner tonight. No ice cream tonight. Ice cream tomorrow," Harry pouted at Sirius.

"We were going to go see your parents today-" Sirius tried to reason.

"Then she can come, too. She wants us to eat dinner with her. We can see mum and dad after. I want to eat with Mia," Harry pouted some more.

Sirius looked at Bella with a 'what do we do' look.

Bella patted Harry's head as she answered, "Here's the plan, mister, we'll go to Mia's house for dinner, but I will need to talk to her parents to see if she can visit your mum and dad tonight as well. Where does she live, and what time are we to be there?"

Harry pulled a piece of paper out of his trousers and passed it to Bella as he spoke, "Mia said to be at her house at half five. Dinner will be at half six."

Bella looked at the time, "All right, Harry, let's get you in the shower and we'll head over to Mia's house after."

==TLoHP==

At five twenty five, Sirius, Bella, and Harry approached the door of the house that rested right on the Thames.

Sirius decided to point something out, "Huh, Mia doesn't live all too far away from us, does she? Only a few blocks."

Harry ran ahead of Bella and Sirius and knocked loudly on the knocker and waited. The door opened to reveal the hyper brunette staring at Harry before yelling, "Mum, daddy! Harry and his parents are here!"

"Tell them to come on in and bring them to the dining room, if you would, please," A woman's voice called out.

Mia beckoned the three guests to follow her, and so they did. The house was immaculate and organized. Books on shelves covered the walls from floor to ceiling. Harry's mouth gaped open as he took in how many books there were.

He turned to Mia, "You didn't tell me you had _this_ many books. You said you had a few."

"I said I had a few that were my favourites. I never said how many my parents owned,' Mia said as she turned to Sirius and Bella and stuck out a hand, "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I'm Hermione Granger. You can call me Mia."

When they entered the dining room, Sirius' eyes were tightly closed and he breathed in slowly.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Mrs. Granger.

Bella replied, "Your little miss called him and myself Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Neither of us are Potters, and he's my first were his best mates in school, and they were killed when Harry was younger."

Mrs. Granger approached Bella and gave a small hug while introducing herself, "My condolences. I'm Evelyn, and this brute of a man is Richard. And you?"

"I'm Bellatrix Lestrange and this is Sirius Black," Bella responded. No one was actually sitting down at that point. Harry was touring the house under Mia's guidance, Sirius and Richard were talking football, and Bella was next to Evelyn who was preparing dinner.

"Would you like some help with that?" Bella said in askance. It looked as if Evelyn was making Chicken Tikka Masala.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'd appreciate it, and we can talk while we cook," Evelyn replied as Bella washed her hands and began to help where needed.

Evelyn started to speak to the woman next to her, "So, if you aren't Harry's parents, what happened to them? And who are you in relation to him?"

"Well, Harry's father was part of SO15, the counter terrorism units, and he royally pissed off one of the big guys. When Harry was one, the bastard found them and Harry's parents sacrificed themselves to allow Harry to survive. Sirius is Harry's godfather, and I'm Sirius' cousin. I was able to gain custody of Harry because Sirius isn't really parenting material. We had to fight through so much red tape and corruption it wasn't even funny."

Bella took a pause and Evelyn put in her comments, "Why would you need to fight through red tape? It's not that hard to gain custody of an orphan, especially when you have his godfather with you."

Bella put down the cooking utensils she was using and turned to Evelyn, "It was hard to get through the red tape because my former husband was one of the bastard's followers. He… It wasn't good for myself with him, but I couldn't get away until he was gone, so I was stuck in that hellhole as a… an object. Essentially. When I was finally able to get away, I wandered onto the scene where Harry lost his parents. I couldn't leave a baby out on a cold Hallow's Eve, so I took him with me to my ancestral home. Fast forward and the government thought I was one of the terrorists until I gave irrefutable evidence and finally managed to win custody by the time Harry was three."

Evelyn emptied her hands and wrapped Bella in a hug, "It's a good thing you ended up raising Harry. Without him, I don't know what my little Hermione would be right now. He's her first friend, and only friend at that. The other kids don't like how she's so much more intelligent than they are. Then there's the weird things that happen when she's… _emotionally charged_. Bloody hell, one time she made my hair purple because she was so happy when I got her the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and that was just this past Monday! Before that she bounced a babysitter out of the house who was stealing from us. I don't know what it is, but I'm glad it's not hurting her."

Bella paused as she referred back to her earlier guess about Mia being a muggleborn. She went over to wash her hands off of the breading the chicken was getting. She told Evelyn, "I'll be right back, I need to speak to Sirius real quick."

As she entered the dining room she ordered, "Sirius can I speak with you outside for a moment? It won't take long, I just have something to plan for later."

"Coming," Sirius called as he excused himself from Richard's conversation, "I'll be back in a few, Richard."

When they both exited the house, Bella turned to him, "Ok, Hermione's a witch."

"How certain are you, and what proof do you have?" Sirius said with a, pardon the pun, serious face.

"Harry's story about the bully, and Evelyn told me of at least two more times when accidental magic came about. The latest time was just this Monday," Bella paused before quickly continuing, "I'm going to tell them."

"What!" Sirius whisper gasped, "Do you know how much trouble you could get into?"

"None if she's a witch," Bella said smugly.

"What if she isn't?" Sirius put his head in his hands.

"Then we _Obliviate_ then and continue the dinner, and I'll never bring it up again. Just one test is all I need to determine whether or not Mia's a witch," Bella tried to reason.

Sirius caved, "All right, but if we get any letters because of the Trace-"

He was cut off by Bella's laughter, "The Trace? That's hilarious. The Trace doesn't exist, Sirius. It's a myth that the ministry created to keep muggleborns behind the purebloods. The only reason why the underage magic laws actually do anything is because the bigots just choose the nearest muggleborn or raised to the incident and sticks the offence on their record. That's only if they are even aware of an incident happening. Most cases of underage magic don't get punished because there's no way to track the magic being used. No wandmaker allows the governments to tamper with their wands."

"Huh," was all Sirius bothered to reply with as the two went back inside.

Bella called out as she entered the dining room, "Evelyn, Mia! Could we talk to you and Richard for a second? It's both important and unimportant at the same time."

Evelyn walked in from the kitchen at precisely the same time Harry and Mia entered from the hall. Bella gestured for everyone to sit, and so everyone sat down.

"Okay, Evelyn, Richard," Bella began, "I'm going to start off with a request: don't do anything until I finish explaining everything. Okay?"

Richard nodded while Evelyn looked conflicted as to what would be talked about.

"All right, Evelyn, you told me that Hermione sometimes had strange things happen around her when she's really emotional. Well, I know why. It's the same reason as to why it happened to Sirius, Harry, and me."

She paused before continuing, "Hermione's a witch and magic is real."

Richard started chuckling a bit, "Come on now, stop kidding about and tell us the real reason. If magic was real, surely it would have been found out by now."

"Would a demonstration help?" Bella questioned hoping everything would go okay.

Seeing Evelyn nod, Bella turned to Sirius, "Go ahead, Sirius, let Padfoot say hello."

Sirius grinned as Evelyn asked, "Padfoot, who's Padfoot?"

Harry was jumping with excitement yelling "Watch! Watch!" as Sirius transformed into a massive black grim and started licking Harry's hand.

Richard's mouth was agape and Evelyn was giggling at how Hermione looked flabbergasted at the new dog next to her.

"All right," Richard said, "Magic exists. That's a thing that exists now. All right. And Hermione's a with that can use it. All right. Hermione, come here please."

When Mia got next to Richard, he pulled her in for a massive hug and whispered into her ear, "This changes nothing, sweetie, you're still my little girl, and we still love you. You understand?"

Hermione nodded her head and returned the hug, "I know, daddy. I know."

"I have one more thing I'd like to ask and explain," Bella said, and when Richard motioned for her to continue, she did, "I already told Evelyn the non magical version of how Harry's parents were murdered, but it was more than that."

She went on about explaining everything about that night that happened five years before. Her involvement, her abuse, and her defection due to everything she had to suffer through. When she had finished her tale, Evelyn went and hugged Bella again, except harder this time. Hermione was also hugging Harry who had two small streams of water coming down his face.

He didn't understand everything that had just been discussed, but he now knew exactly how his parents had gone. He knew that Bella had been forced to kill his father, but he didn't know why she was forced to, and now he knew. He broke the embrace with Mia and ran into his mum's arms.

"I still love you, mum," He cried out and hugged her.

"I still love you," he repeated softly as she returned the heartfelt embrace and pat his back.

"I love you too, son," Bella began, "I love you too."

She turned to the Grangers and spoke, "Every Hallow's Eve we go visit the graves of Lily and James, and little mister here wanted to know if Mia could come. You guys are also invited, if you choose."

Evelyn looked to Hermione, "Well, Hermione? Do you wish to go with Harry to visit his parents."

Hermione started nodding her head so fast that her head started to blur.

"Okay, Richard and I are going to stay here and get some alone time. If you are going to have Hermione for an extended period of time tonight, here's my phone number so you can call if that happens," Evelyn offered Bella a piece of paper with her phone number on it.

"Thank you," Bella took the paper and they all ate dinner together.

After, they took Hermione and went to the graveyard in Godric's Hollow.

==TLoHP==

Hermione's mouth dropped open when the statue in the middle of the town shifted to become a monument to the three Potters. Lily and James and Harry.

"Mrs. Lestrange, who are these three?" Hermione asked with warranted innocence.

"That's Lily, James, and Harry Potter," Bella said, "The ministry thought they'd commemorate Harry's 'defeat of the Dark Lord' by building a statue to honour him and his parents."

"How does a toddler kill and evil wizard?" Hermione questioned incredulously.

Sirius barked out a laugh, "That's because Harry didn't kill Moldymort, but I'm almost positive his mum did."

"How?" the little witch asked.

"Lily wasn't known as the smartest witch of her age for nothing. Runes, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Arithmancy. You could give her any sort of magic, and she'd make something wonderful from it," Sirius said with awe in his voice.

Bella took over, "I didn't really know her, but my husband despised her. Apparently she ruined one of his muggle hunting escapades. He was most upset that day, so she must have been good."

They proceeded to the graveyard and approached the two graves that were side by side near the middle of the yard.

Bella pulled out her wand and transfigured some fallen leaves into purple roses and passed one to Harry, Mia, and Sirius, while leaving one for herself.

Sirius walked forward and placed the beautiful rose on the grave before speaking in a low voice, "Hey, guys, we're back. Again. It's the five year anniversary of that night, and the peasants are all drinking to their heart's content. Only a select few remember what that victory took, and besides us four here… only McGonagall and Flitwick are the ones who do remember what it took."

He paused then continued, "In the past year we got Dumb-as-a-door kicked off the position of Supreme Mugwump of the ICW. Surprisingly, Daniel Clivers from Australia filled in the spot. Narcissa was finally able to get a seat on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts, so she'll be able to work against Albus when needed. I also named Harry my heir a few months ago. I found out that a stray shot from Death Munchers hit my jiggly bits wrong, and the healers can't heal that. Rest well, Lils, James."

Harry was next after Sirius moved, and he spoke just as softly, "Hey, mum. Hey, dad. I made a new friend, and she's a witch like you, mum! She's really smart, and kind, and she loves books as much as I do. I stopped a meanie from hitting her earlier today. Love you mum, and you too, dad."

Bella went next and placed the third flower on Lily's grave. She knew from Sirius that it was her favourite flower, and she felt a deeper connection with Lily than James.

"Hey, Lily, I'm back for the fifth time to say I'm sorry about you and James. If I had been stronger, or faster, or smarter… maybe… maybe things would be different. I don't know."

Bella breathed out and spoke again, "I'm doing my best, but some days… some days it all comes rushing back. The memories, the nightmares, the feelings. I hate those the most. The feelings of loss, hurt, sorrow, they all come back sometimes and I end up in the bath crying myself away for half an hour. I need to do something, but there's nothing I can do. Sorry, Lily, sleep well."

Hermione wiped a tear from her eye trying to pretend she didn't hear or didn't understand what Bella had said. She saw the same things happen to some of her book characters, and it was never good.

"Good evening, Mrs. and Mr. Potter," she began as quiet as the others, "I'm Hermione Granger, but I prefer Mia. Other kids can pronounce it better, and Mia is harder to make fun of than Hermy Wormy. Anyways, I hope everything goes well with you guys. I'll do my best to keep Harry upright. Have a good one, Mrs. and Mr. Potter."

The four of them said one final goodbye to the pair and walked away to go home.

 **AN: I'm not the best at writing toddlers, but I think I did a good job. Let me know what you guys thought of the graveyard scene. Important things happened this chapter, but they'll be expanded upon in the next chapter. We also skip to Harry's eleventh birthday next, and he gets his Hogwarts letter.**


	7. Chapter VII

**AN: If you are reading this for a second time, or you have read this story before, you will notice that this chapter is new as of whenever I updated the story to this point, so yeah, onto the story. I'll be updating and adding new chapters as fast as I can. I must apologize profusely for the extended wait for any and all fans of the story. Now onto the story.**

 **Date Posted: 03/10/19**

Chapter VII

19 August 1988

Harry sat still as Bella told him of the different families, "The House of Malfoy was not always British, and they are actually one of the youngest houses among those in the Sacred 28. There are only two members of that House remaining. Can you tell me who?"

"Cousin Draco and Auntie Cissa," Harry replied with a confident nod that made her smile.

Bella put a notch on parchment before she spoke, "Correct, Draco and Cissa are the only two Malfoys alive. That puts them in a tenuous position in terms of House survivability, but it also increases the likelihood of people trying to gain their favour. You will have to deal with this even more so."

"Because I'm the last Potter?" he asked.

"And the heir to the Lestrange and Black families. I can't have children, and neither can Sirius, so all three of those Houses ride on your shoulders. This means that you have to pass on the mantle of three different Houses to your children. There's more to tell about this when you are older, for it is something an eight-year-old will not need to know," she finished speaking while smirking.

Sirius popped his head through the door and said, "Hey, guess who's here?"

"Mia!" Harry shot up and ran through the door of the study. He looked down the stairs of Grimmauld and smiled as he saw Hermione standing there with Remus.

"Hello Harry," Hermione said as she waved up the stairs.

Harry bounded down the steps until he practically collided with her in a hug. She made an 'oof' noise and then returned the hug.

"Harry! Hermione! Come on up to the study for your lessons!" Bella called with a smile on her face.

 _Those two are either going to be the death of me, or they are going to make my life so much more fun,_ Bella thought to herself as the two walked into her personal study.

"Now, where did we leave off, Hermione?" Bella asked already knowing the answer.

"Last time you were teaching us about the politics of the Wizengamot," Hermione led, "You were just about to explain the voting system before my mum and daddy arrived to pick me up."

"Ah, yes. The voting system," Bella pulled out a piece of parchment that had a diagram of all the different types of houses on it.

"Now, there are four types of Houses in the Wizengamot. Minor Houses, Noble Houses, Noble and Ancient Houses, and then Noble and Most Ancient Houses. Each type has a set number of votes, and each is able to do certain things. Are you with me so far?" Bella asked real quick.

Seeing both of them nod, she continued, "Minor Houses, such as that of the Minor House of Dumbledore, only receive one vote, and they must be a part of a political alliance with a House of greater standing. For instance, The Minor House of Dumbledore is currently aligned to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones. Blood purity is not considered for minor houses, but there has never been a mundane house in the Wizengamot-"

"Why not, Miss Bella?" Hermione asked with a slight frown.

"Because the wizarding world is full of people who do not understand the value of new people in an old world," Bella answered with a sad smile.

Hermione was still frowning, but she let Bella continue, "Noble Houses, such as the House of Smith, are the start of the true hierarchy in the Wizengamot. The requirement to become a Noble House is for said House to have been in the Wizarding world for at least five hundred years. They receive three votes, can draft new legislation that deals with domestic issues and needs, and they may start new political alliances.

"Noble and Ancient Houses, such as the House of Lovegood, are pretty similar, except they've been around for a thousand years. They receive five votes, get the same perks as the Noble Houses, and can propose treaties with other magical nations."

Bella took a breath before explaining the last one, "Noble and Most Ancient Houses have been around for ages. Most of them have been around since the days of the Roman Empire. The Potters, Blacks, and Lestranges are amongst the oldest. They receive ten votes, get all the same previously stated perks, as well as the power to pen treaties between Magical Britain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, may call for a vote of no confidence for any elected or appointed member of the government, and are the tiebreakers in any tie. At this point, blood purity doesn't matter because all the Wizengamot cares about is that someone with magic is available to carry on the bloodline. That's the Wizengomat in a nutshell."

"How many votes are there in total?" Harry asked.

"Eight hundred, give or take a few," Bella said, "There are a few that are presumed extinct, and there are some that are immigrants from afar, so it changes from time to time. The four Founders' Houses haven't had people sit in the Wizengamot for nearly a thousand years at this point. It's practically tradition that those seats remain empty. There's a few others who have been wiped out as the times have past," Bella finished looking gloomy. It was always taboo talking about the extinction of Houses, but Harry had asked a valid question.

The sound of feet pounding up the stairs was followed by the door flinging open and Sirius popping his head into the room. He said, "Hey, guys, we've got a guest I'd like you to meet."

Bella looked at him pointedly. Sirius shrugged, "I didn't invite him. He just showed up, and I can't say no to an old friend."

Bella just sighed, stood up, and started to follow Sirius with the two kids in tow behind her.

As they reached the bottom of the old stairs, a man with unkempt hair and old tattered clothes waved hello.

"Is that… Remus Lupin? Is that seriously you?" Bella asked, bewildered. This was what the Brightest Marauder had become? A man who wore the clothes of a vagrant.

"Hey Bellatrix, Hey Sirius," he said as he held out a paper bag, "I've got some scones from the baker down the street. She said she baked them just this morning."

Sirius took the bag, handed it to Harry, and then enclosed his friend in a tight hug.

"Remus, it's been too long," Sirius said, letting Remus go, "It's been what? Seven years?"

Remus nodded, the light reflecting off the cursed scars that marred his face. He replied, "Yeah. I was over on the mainland on Dumbledore's order trying to talk to the werewolves to stay away from Britain when my ward monitor went off. The ones they gave us in order to make sure we knew they were all right. It went off and I apparated from West Berlin to Godric's Hollow in one go…"

He trailed off to take a deep breath before speaking again, "I saw Hagrid weeping as he came out of the house with Lily in his arms. I had asked him where James and Harry were. He told me where James was, and he didn't know where Harry was I risked another apparition to just outside of Hogwarts' wards and crawled to the front gate. Dumbledore and Pomfrey fixed me up, and he told me that there was no sign of Peter or you-"

His voice broke as he tried to continue telling his tale, "After I was healed up, I decided that Britain could die in a hole, so I went to America. I've been there ever since."

"How'd you find out about us then?" Sirius asked.

Remus grimly chuckled at that, "I went to the library a couple of days ago to get some information on potions. Well, it's only been three weeks or so since Harry's birthday, and I passed by all the different newspapers there. The title on one very familiar paper was _Seven Years Later, Where is Harry Potter?_ Apparently you guys keep him out of the public eye quite a bit.

"Wait," Bella interrupted, "You being here is all because you passed by the Prophet at your local library?"

"Yeah," Remus said while he laughed, "I only ever look at the papers while I'm at the library, so I only see the Prophet every month or two, and this was the first time I had seen a mention of Harry or Sirius. I got home that evening and wept for the lost years I could have had. What did you think happened to me?"

"I don't truly know what I thought happened," Sirius started, "I tried sending an owl to you once, but it came back with the letter still tied to its ankle. After that, I was so busy with the family and Harry that I forgot about trying to find you."

He pointed to Hermione, " _This_ little twerp didn't help clear up my schedule."

She let out an indignant yelp and glared at the aging Marauder. Sirius chuckled and ruffled her hair, which caused her to yelp once more and playfully smack his arm.

"Speaking of the little twerp," Remus began with life in his eyes that hadn't been there in ages, "Who do I have the pleasure of making an acquaintance?"

A hand shot forward and Hermione replied kindly, "Hermione Granger, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Remus took the offered hand and shook it gently as he responded, "Quite the manners you have going for you. It's good to know that the mutt's proximity hasn't done a right dirty job to it."

Sirius hit Remus' shoulder slightly harder than playfully, but he was still smiling, so everything was more than likely all right.

"Hey," Sirius started, "Remus, what are you going to do after you leave? Stay in Britain, go to the mainland, America?"

"Well, I haven't quite decided yet as to what my future steps are. I hadn't really planned at all, you see. I came here on a whim the likes of which I have never committed to before, so I'm not sure what to do after this. You know me, Sirius, I've always been a planner, so I'm currently in uncharted territory," Remus rambled on for a bit before rubbing the back of his neck and looking down.

"Well, I'd like you to stick around Britain, and you know just how big this place in. I could let you borrow a room for however long you need-"

"No, I won't accept charity, Sirius, no matter how long it's been," Remus cut off.

"What about rent a room, and I'll throw in food and other necessities," Sirius smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"How much would rent be?" Remus asked, interest clearly showing in his face.

"One galleon," Sirius stated.

"One galleon a week isn't so-"

"A month, Remus, one galleon a month. You should know me better than that, Moony," Sirius grinned.

Remus looked around at Harry, Hermione, and Bella, none of which looked upset with the proposal. He replied, "All right, you mongrel, a room and food for one galleon a month."

They shook hands and embraced once more before Bella spoke up, "Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Remus, but I really must get onto the lessons for these two."

Upon hearing "lessons", Remus' ears perked up, "Lessons? What are you teaching them?"

Hermione decided to answer this one, "The Wizengamot and the old families."

"Ah, fun topic there, _truly_ ," Remus said sarcastically, "It's necessary to know, but by Merlin is it a pain in the toosh."

" _Remus_ ," Bella bemoaned with an evil glint in her eye.

"That's my que to leave. Sirius! Where's my room?" With that, the last two Marauders left.

Bella turned back to her pupils and smiled, "Let's go, guys. We have a few more things to learn."

"Okay, mum," Harry said, and Hermione nodded rapidly.

 **AN: This chapter was added between 6 and 7, and the rest of the story is getting a rewrite. Currently, Chapters 1-7 are done, and I must apologize from the bottom of my heart to the fans of the story. The Lord of House Potter has just recently hit over 100,000 reads, and I feel that I must continue this story. I lost the muse for six months, but I will try my best to post as often as I can. I simply lost my sense of direction with the story, and I am trying to find my way through the wild woods called "Writing"**

 **Until next time.**


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